


Unbreakable Bond

by lovefaun



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26858908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovefaun/pseuds/lovefaun
Summary: Distraught and frustrated about having to leave Half Moon behind from his past life, Jayfeather seeks a way to contact her out of desperation. Reckless and stupid, Jayfeather ends up in an accident, near death before he is saved by Leafpool. The mother’s comfort towards her unwilling kit forces Jayfeather to come face to face with feelings he’d been avoiding for too long.(This is a slight stray away from the canon events, I just wanted to write something short along these lines. This takes place sometime after The Forgotten Warrior, but before the events of The Last Hope)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Unbreakable Bond

“Please! Let me stay here!”

A needy voice cried out loudly to its listener. An aged, naked cat, its body seemingly stripped of any trace of fur, stared unfazed at the source of the voice. Its large eyes blinked once but silence continued on.

The voice grew more frustrated with the lack of response. “I don’t want to leave. I can’t leave her. Not again.”

“Jayfeather,” the hairless cat breathed, its tone scarily patient. It said nothing more, expecting an interruption.

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Jayfeather hissed out. “You don’t understand, Rock!”

“ _You_ don’t understand,” Rock bit back, and Jayfeather could tell the ancient cat’s patience was wearing thin. This wasn’t the first time they’d been over this conversation. With a sigh, the hairless tom calmed his tone. “You do not belong here, Jayfeather. You lived your time seeing through Jay’s Wing’s eyes; your kin have moved onto their next lives, and you must join them again. You cannot abandon them for something that has gone. Not now, not ever.”

“But, what about Half Moon and-“

Before Jayfeather could get anymore words in, his vision started to fade quickly. Rock vanished in front of his eyes and soon the whole world was black. He jolted up with a soft gasp, stupidly looking around, but seeing nothing. With an embarrassed grumble, he perked his ears forward and allowed his senses to take in his surroundings.

He did not hear the sound of the Tribe’s familiar waterfall, but instead, the sounds of birds busily chirping outside, joined by the sound of Brambleclaw bustling around the camp and arranging patrols.

_Right, I returned from the mountains a while back,_ Jayfeather thought to himself. _Why do I keep going back? I have nothing left there to do. These aren’t visions, are they?_

Jayfeather thought for a brief moment before shaking his head, biting back the sour words he wanted to express. _No...These are just regular dreams. Rock isn’t actually visiting me. I just keep reliving that same moment._

With a sleepy groan, Jayfeather stood from his nest and stretched. He shook out his pelt to rid himself of stray clumps of moss that may have stuck to him while he was squirming in his sleep. 

“Jayfeather?” A soft voice startled the gray tabby from his thoughts. He turned his blind gaze to the paralyzed warrior that nested in his den.

He could feel Briarlight meet his gaze. “Good morning,” she mewed cheerfully. “I thought you were awake, but I didn’t want to wake you just in case you weren’t. But you were mewing in your sleep like a kit!”

Jayfeather felt a wave of embarrassed heat spread across his body. “Have you done any of your exercises yet? It’s good to get some out of the way while you’re stretching your body from sleep.” he meowed, avoiding the topic like an active fox den.

Briarlight didn’t answer, but she went on with what she was saying. “Something about a half moon! But you know it’s only a quarter moon tonight, right? I can always help you if you need to know.”

Jayfeather bit back a retort. “Thanks,” he forced out, knowing the warrior only wanted to be helpful. He couldn’t blame her for not knowing what went on in his life when he was asleep. Likely, no cat could understand.

Even still, he didn’t want to face it right now.

“You’re right, it is a quarter moon tonight,” he mewed finally, willing his body language to calm down. His tone was casual, almost feigning appreciation. “I’ll be sure to ask on nights that I am unsure. That’s another task you can help me with.”

Jayfeather felt bursts of joy and happiness roll off the she-cat in waves. The emotion almost became too much for the tom and he suppressed a sneeze. “I’m going to go out for a bit,” he announced, trying not to seem rushed. “If you need anything, Brightheart will be around.”

“Okay,” Briarlight responded.

“And remember, do your exercises!” 

Jayfeather didn’t hear a further response after he reminded her, so he stepped out of the den and cautiously poked his head out. He listened carefully around the clearing and sniffed, trying to pick out nearby scents. Not feeling any gazes on himself, he broke into a run, racing out of the hollow and into the forest.

He let his paws carry him by memory, down to the lake. He began to slow as paws met the warm sand of the bank and the sound of lapping waves rushed through his ears like blood.

Jayfeather breathed in the scent of the lake, sighing with discomfort. Half Moon’s scent still filled his nose, along with the windy chill of the mountains’ breeze. The smells seemed too scarily homey and familiar, and the gray tabby tom was unsure of how to feel about it.

“I’m really torn up over her, aren’t I?” Jayfeather mumbled to himself, feeling his anger grow.

He tried to block out the sound of the waves, instead trying to distort them to sound like the wind battering against his pelt and ears at the top of the mountains. For a moment, he felt bliss, his eyes closed contentedly. He could almost feel his fur begin to blow in the hallucinatory wind.

The caw of a crow startled him out of his trance and he cast his eyes to the sky irritably, not having to be able to see to know that the crow took off with a flutter of batting wings against the edge of a tree branch.

“Half Moon, what I would do to have you here,” Jayfeather mumbled aloud, laying down and resting his head on his paws. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Can you even hear me?”

Only a deafening silence filled the air as he blocked out the sound of nature. 

“Will we walk in StarClan together?” The tabby went on. “Do you even _walk_ with StarClan at all?”

Still, silence.

_That’s if there’s even a StarClan left after this,_ Jayfeather grumbled in his head, though he didn’t dare speak the words aloud. It felt like everything had been chaos lately.

StarClan was being as vague as ever and he was starting to give up hope with ever trying to understand. Hollyleaf was back, and he had mixed feelings about it. He had missed her dearly but he felt irritated knowing she abandoned him and Lionblaze to face the backlash alone, intentionally or not. Ivypool was still waking up daily tired and injured, albeit mildly.

The last battle was coming, and yet he couldn’t stay focused. How could he fight for the whole lake when he was head over paws for a dead cat?

With all the tension around the lake, Jayfeather felt a sudden bout of homesickness for the mountains. He’d never experienced truly living there, only through his past life. Even then, it felt more comforting than the state of the lake right now.

In a sudden lash of irritability, Jayfeather cursed at himself for ever breaking that ancient stick. He used it to communicate with Rock, could he have done the same with Half Moon?

In a sudden act of stupidity and recklessness, the light gray tabby darted towards the hiding place where he kept the stick. He patted around for the broken piece of wood with his paws, but only felt broken, splintered remains. With a soft growl, he turned to the lake.

There was only one place it could be, and likely, it was at the bottom.

As the blind, young tom padded forward, icy anxiety pierced through his pelt as he listened to the lake’s waves. He had to do this. He had to get the stick back.

_How deep is the lake?_

_I couldn’t even save Flametail. How can I save myself?_

_But there’s no ice...I still have a chance._

_Can I even swim?_

_I can’t stop thinking about the time I drowned with Fallen Leaves. That feeling..._

Thoughts raced through Jayfeather’s brain like a fleeing rabbit. He shivered, shaking out his pelt. He had to do this.

With one forced rush of bravery, the tom darted forward, forcing himself to continue despite the feeling of cold water soaking his paws, making him want to stop. With a deep breath, he left the shallow area and dove in until his feet could no longer touch the ground. He directed his body downwards, feeling along the sandy bottom.

Paws hopelessly scraped against pebbles and dug up sand. At some point, a minnow even came and swept across the tom’s fur before rushing away.

With a growl that bubbled from his mouth, he kicked his hind legs off the bottom and his head resurfaced. He let out a harsh gasp of air, his paws battering at the surface helplessly to try and stay afloat. Taking another breath in, he dove back down and continued his search, going further out into the lake.

He felt his paws around the ground, still feeling for the stick. Again, nothing.

In a sudden mistaken move, unable to break the habit, Jayfeather breathed in through his nose to try to pick up the scent of the stick. Realizing his error too late, water rushed through his nostrils and went down his throat, choking him. His mouth opened instinctively with a horrified gag, which only made the situation worse. His body tensed and he struggled at the bottom, trying to kick downwards to launch himself to the surface but his limbs only flailed helplessly. He felt his body grow weaker and weaker, and it almost seemed like his dark, blind gaze grew even darker with approaching unconsciousness.

Just barely, he felt a hint of a strangely dry pelt brush against him and the sound of glimmering stars as clear as a crystal in his ears. As soon as it appeared, it vanished.

For a split second, everything was silent. Jayfeather was almost unconscious by the time he heard a sudden shrieking voice along the shore, muffled by the harsh water that surrounded him.

He felt the water quiver and move around his body but he paid no attention to it, giving into his life’s failed fate.

He thought back to the feeling of a starry warrior brushing against him and fading. _Is this it?_ he wondered hopelessly with a tinge of bitterness. _Has StarClan decided to abandon me in my last moments?_

_Lionblaze, Dovewing...I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you, I failed. Hollyleaf, take care of them, please._

Jayfeather closed his eyes as his body felt weightless, letting himself be dragged along in the water as something grabbed his scruff with sharp teeth. Maybe StarClan was still here after all. Maybe they had come to claim his spirit.

His head resurfaced and he could faintly hear the struggling breaths of his captor as it fought against the forming waves of the lake, struggling to keep both of them above the water. Jayfeather’s entire body was limp and heavy, likely not helping the stranger very much, though he could not gather the energy enough to move.

Water blocked his nostrils, not allowing him to take in the scents around him.

The young tom felt his body get dragged across the sand, pebbles scraping and clinging onto his skin. He let out a faint, weak hiss as some rocks caught and tore small scratches into his skin. 

“Jayfeather!” a voice sounded above him, desperate and high. He could barely hear with the sound of rushing water in his ears. The voice tried again, more urgent, shaking his limp body. “Jayfeather, my kit, please. Don’t do this!”

Jayfeather felt his body run cold. _Leafpool?_ he thought. _Has she died? Why is she in StarClan? How did we die at the same time?_

Before he could do anything, a paw prodded roughly against the center of his ribcage and he jolted harshly with a sudden gag. Water spilled from his mouth as he sat up, coughing it up onto sand below him. The tom’s cough sounded broken up and mucus-y, almost as if he had greencough.

“That’s it,” Leafpool breathed gently, letting her tail run up and down his spine in a soothing rhythm. “Get it all out. You’re safe now.”

_I didn’t die,_ Jayfeather realized, another cough and gag overtaking him as more water was rejected from his lungs. His breath came out raggedly and harsh, and his whole body quaked with anxiety.

“You’re okay now. Stay here, my darling. I promise I’ll be right back.” Leafpool whispered in his ear, licking his cheek before bounding away in a hurry. Despite the grudge he held against his birth mother, at this moment he couldn’t bring himself to even care. He at least needed somebody to soothe him.

Jayfeather coughed again, his throat feeling sore. A wave of nausea coursed through his body and he gagged.

It wasn’t long before Leafpool reappeared, her panted breaths muffled by something in her mouth. She must have raced all the way to camp and back.

The former medicine cat set something down beside him and Jayfeather sniffled, unable to take in the scent from the pain in his nose.

Leafpool seemed to pick up on his struggle. “I’ve got you some herbs,” she informed him gently, her voice soft and slow. “I wasn’t going to make you go all the way to camp. I can treat you here.”

Jayfeather didn’t even bother protesting that she shouldn’t be performing medicine cat duties. Instead, all that came out of him was a weak whimper as he gazed up in the direction of her voice.

“Hush now,” Leafpool cooed, coming forward and curling around his smaller body. She reached out with a paw, bringing the herbs over and unraveling the leaf wrap. “Juniper, thyme, and some drops of honey.” 

Leafpool gently guided his head until his nose touched the leaf. In an instant, he lapped up the juniper berries and thyme. His tongue rasped at the leaf wrap as he gathered up all the honey droplets. The honey soothed his sore throat and he couldn’t resist the soft purr that rumbled from within.

“I knew you’d like the honey,” Leafpool breathed warmly with a smile. “When you were a kit, I’d have to drag you away from my den because the smell of it always attracted you. Sometimes, I’d give a small amount to my sister to put some on your freshkill, if I could spare it.”

When Jayfeather didn’t say anything, she continued. “It’ll help coat your throat and soothe it. Usually, it’s for smoke treatment, but I figured it would help just as much. The juniper will clear your lungs, and the thyme will calm you down.”

Jayfeather felt Leafpool begin to purr. “But of course, you already knew that, my dear. I’m very proud of you for how far you’ve come.” She began to groom his head softly, licking it the wrong way when she felt the young tom shiver underneath her.

“Leafpool...I—“ Jayfeather tried, but her bushy tail brushed against his lips, silencing him.

“You can explain to me later. You’re very shaken up right now.” 

Jayfeather allowed himself to feel nothing as she continued to groom him. His eyes closed and he breathed in softly. He barely moved when he felt Leafpool lay her ear near his chest.

She was silent for a moment before she purred. “Good, you’ve got all the water out,” she sighed. Jayfeather could feel a wave of anxiety leave her body with relief. “Your lungs sound very clear.”

Before he could say anything, he heard her fur rustle in the sand as she shifted. “I brought you some freshkill, too,” she mewed, setting the prey down on the leaf wrap. “Mouse. Your favorite.”

Jayfeather didn’t speak, silently grateful for the prey. He chewed through the soft body of fur, the warm rush of blood filling his mouth comfortingly. He swallowed his first bite, eating until there was nothing left but scraps and bones.

“Do you feel better?” Leafpool purred warmly.

“...Yeah,” Jayfeather mewed weakly, not wanting to admit the presence of his birth mother was comforting at the moment. He felt a rush of hot shame course through his blood. “Thanks.”

Leafpool trilled with laughter. “My kit, always so blunt and unappreciative. I saved your life, you know.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like—“

“Don’t worry, I know. I was only kidding with you.” She licked his head softly. “Why don’t we get back to camp? I’ll get you some poppy seeds. You should rest for the day.”

Despite the ache that screamed through his joints as he stood, Jayfeather began to protest. “I have a job to do,” he wanted to argue, but his voice instead came out kit-like and weak. 

“You’re relieved from medicine duties for now, remember?”

“But that’s only outside of the camp, I—“

“Brightheart will take over. Just for a day, okay? Please?”

Jayfeather bit back another protest. Reluctantly, he nodded.

Leafpool stood up, brushing against his flank as she gently guided him back to the camp. He walked alongside her on wobbly paws, leaning into the warmth of her long pelt. The breeze ran across his damp pelt and made him shiver. As if on cue, Leafpool leaned against him more, providing him her warmth.

He heard silence spread throughout the camp as they brushed past the thorn barrier of the hollow. Jayfeather could feel eyes on him. The curiosity in his brother’s and sister’s eyes burned especially bright, making him feel hot underneath his short pelt.

He could imagine how he looked to his Clan. Weak, frail, and skinny with his pelt sticking to his skin. Damp in most places, licked messily in others, with his underbelly still soaked with water and covered in grit and sand. He was sure he was certainly a sight to see.

Jayfeather heard a set of paws leap to the ground from a platform and rush towards them. Able to smell again despite the slight pain as cold air filled his nostrils, he picked up the scent of Firestar coming closer. Brambleclaw was just behind him. 

“Leafpool?” the orange tom prompted, concern rushing off of him like the waves that had consumed Jayfeather. “What’s happened?” 

Jayfeather could feel Brambleclaw’s eyes burning into him just like his siblings’. A feeling of fatherly love and concern came from the brown tabby tom. Whatever the deputy had wanted to say to him, the words never came, and Jayfeather redirected his blind gaze specifically away from the tom.

“I found him half drowned in the lake,” she mewed softly, her words hushed, only for the ears of the leader and his deputy. Squirrelflight bounded up just in time to hear her words, standing beside her father. 

Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight didn’t say a word to each other, but the tension between them was gone at that moment, too concerned for the kit they had raised together.

Jayfeather felt his grandfather’s green gaze turn on him. “Jayfeather?” Firestar prompted, nothing but worry evident in his tone. The young tom dug deep into the leader’s feelings and sensed no trace of anger or disappointment, only an overwhelming amount of concern and anxiety.

Jayfeather directed his prodding towards the other two warriors next to Firestar. He could sense both Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight wanted to rush forward and comfort their adopted kit with soothing words that were once whispered through the nursery, but Leafpool stood in front of him with her bushy tail laid comfortingly across his shoulders. Leafpool knew what the two wanted to do, and she was appreciative that after everything, they still cared, but she knew Jayfeather wouldn’t want to be overwhelmed right now.

“He’s shaken up,” Leafpool explained gently to her father to cover for the absence of the young tom’s voice. She looked around the camp. “I need somewhere private. I want to talk to Jayfeather alone.”

Firestar blinked once before dipping his head to his daughter and grandson. “My den is empty right now,” he meowed to them. “You’re welcome in there.” 

“Thank you, Firestar,” Leafpool mewed, giving him an appreciative lick on his shoulder. Her father nudged her head with his own affectionately. 

“Leafpool,” Squirrelflight stopped her sister. “Do you...Do you need anything? Herbs? I can get them.” 

“Poppy seeds would be nice,” Leafpool mewed gratefully, before lowering her voice. “I told him he absolutely must rest, no matter what.”

“Squirrelflight, you do that,” Brambleclaw put in. Jayfeather still could not sense any tension between the two as they interacted. Brambleclaw turned to Leafpool. “Would you like me to post a guard by the den so you can be alone?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Leafpool shook her head. Brambleclaw only nodded, and Jayfeather sensed that he wished he could do more for the son he had raised.

Firestar seemed to pick up on his deputy’s slight disappointment. Affectionately, the leader nudged his former apprentice’s shoulder. “Head on out with a hunting patrol,” he mewed softly. “You can bring Jayfeather something to eat. I’ll take up a border patrol.”

Blinking up at his leader, Brambleclaw nodded and swiftly got a move on, gently brushing past Jayfeather. As soon as the comforting feeling of his warm, long fur touched him, it was gone. 

Leafpool and Firestar gently led Jayfeather up to the leader’s den and over to the nest. The strong scent of Firestar’s and Sandstorm’s pelts flooded the young tom’s nostrils as he weakly plopped down in the moss.

“Bring the other two kits on your patrol, will you?” Leafpool mewed idly to Firestar, her gaze on her youngest kit. She didn’t notice the slight mistake when referring to Hollyleaf and Lionblaze as kits. Her tone was a slight joke with her next sentence, “I don’t want to have to fight them out of this den. I know they’ll want to see him.”

Just like Leafpool didn’t notice her mistake, Firestar didn’t bring it up. “Of course,” he meowed with a nod. “I’ll keep them busy until he’s ready to see them.”

The mother and son waited in silence of the den. Jayfeather perked up at the sound of a soft trill outside the entrance. Moments later, Squirrelflight appeared at the mouth of the den, hobbling forward with one forepaw in the air. She carried poppy seeds wrapped in a leaf in her mouth. Jayfeather could tell she had one paw in the air as she walked, judging by her uneven pawsteps.

“Cobwebs?” Leafpool mewed, surprised, looking at Squirrelflight’s lifted forepaw. She had the sticky web wrapped around her paw. Quickly, she took the poppy seeds from her sister. “What for?”

“I smelled blood on him,” Squirrelflight told her, taking a step forward and sniffing over Jayfeather’s pelt. The young tom flinched slightly, but the red she-cat didn’t take notice. “I still do.”

Jayfeather felt panic rise from Leafpool. “It’s fine,” the tom croaked, his voice feeling unused. He cleared his throat of watery mucus that clung to the walls of his throat from soreness. “I just scraped against some rocks, that’s all.”

He felt her tension relieve and a sigh escaped her body. “I’ll check over them just to make sure.” Jayfeather didn’t protest, knowing he wouldn’t win.

Squirrelflight stepped forward slightly with strong feelings of uncertainty. Knowing what she wanted, Jayfeather gave in and tilted his head upwards, allowing Squirrelflight to touch her nose to his own. 

The moment lasted for a brief while while Jayfeather felt a burst of emotions course through his body, both from him and Squirrelflight. Visions popped in his head of seeing him and his siblings through Squirrelflight’s eyes, and the wave of feelings that came from her every time she looked at the three. It was no lie that, despite her being their aunt, she truly did feel like their mother.

The visions and feelings immediately vanished when their noses parted, but she leaned in to lick his cheek. When it connected to his soft fur, a rush of strong, unbreakable love zapped his body like electricity and he shivered. 

For a brief moment, Jayfeather started to feel guilty. He felt that Squirrelflight had betrayed him by keeping a secret, but at this time, he began to feel unsure. Had he really betrayed her, by not accepting what she had to do to protect her sister?

Squirrelflight’s words shook him out of his thoughts and the feeling of uncertainty vanished. “I’ll catch up with Brambleclaw’s patrol and we’ll bring you back the best prey we can find, okay?” 

Jayfeather only nodded silently, unsure if Squirrelflight even saw it before she turned tail and padded out of the den. An unnerving silence filled the den when she was gone, and Jayfeather wondered if Leafpool was mad at him now that she knew he was safe and okay. He tried to dig through her mind, but her thoughts were masked.

“Let me check over you,” Leafpool mewed softly, breaking the silence. She sounded like a queen talking to her kit after it left the nursery for the first time and treaded over a thorn. Without arguing, Jayfeather loosened his tense body. Leafpool licked his ear once before she began nosing through his fur and running a paw along his flank, feeling for his scratches.

“They’re not deep at all,” she concluded after her inspection. “They only really need a good cleaning. But your body is tired- I’ll put the cobwebs on anyways.” Leafpool licked at his scratches and Jayfeather sighed at the comforting feeling. 

Leafpool finished gently patting the webbing over the wounds. “Now, you should rest easy knowing you won’t have anything to worry about,” she mewed with a satisfied purr. 

“Thanks,” he said plainly, though he was appreciative. Jayfeather didn’t care who it was, he just wanted the comfort of another cat to watch over him at the moment. He shouldn’t have done what he did.

Leafpool laid down beside him, her gaze washing over him as she looked at him with motherly eyes. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Jayfeather resisted a scoff. “It’s nothing important,” he meowed.

Jayfeather could feel something growing in her: an urge to argue, just like they did as mentor and apprentice, but she kept her voice gentle and understanding.

“Jayfeather...” she began with a sigh. “I know you don’t see our relationship like how it is. I know you hate me for it. But no matter what, you’re my kit, you’ll always be my kit, and I’ll never stop loving you.”

Something about her words hit deep inside of Jayfeather and he directed his blind gaze down at his paws with flattened ears, feeling guilty. His whiskers twitched.

“I just want to know what’s wrong, Jay.” The nickname slipped off her tongue easily, one that he had only ever heard come from his siblings. Something about it was comforting. Leafpool sighed, “I want to be involved in your life, and I always have wanted that. Your’s, Lionblaze’s, and Hollyleaf’s very existence makes me question why the code is the way it is.” 

Jayfeather’s eyes widened, surprised with how easily his mother opened up like that. Something about her words stung and his guilt only grew. He started to realize he’d never taken into consideration Leafpool’s feelings on everything, but something inside of him blocked those thoughts off from being explored further.

“But I know why the code is like that,” Leafpool continued softly. “I’d never tell anyone this, but if I could could go back in time, I’d give up my medicine duties just to have you as my own.” 

Jayfeather buried his nose in his front paws as Leafpool affectionately laid her head on the back of his neck and wrapped her tail around him. “Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw would do the same for you three if they were in a situation like that, you know. Despite everything, they love you very much. You’re their kits just as much as you are mine.”

The young tom didn’t answer, her words both soothing and painful. He wanted to block it all out.

“Please tell me, dear,” Leafpool began again after a brief moment of silence. “Why were you in the lake?”

“I fell in,” Jayfeather tried.

“I know that’s not the case, Jayfeather. I know you well, you’re my kit. And plus, you were out way further than where you would be if you had fallen.”

Silence washed over Jayfeather, caught in his own lie.

“I know you’ve been stressed lately,” Leafpool mewed. “I don’t know why, and I’m not going to ask unless you want to tell me, but I’m worried about you, Jayfeather. You...You didn’t go into the lake on _purpose_ , did you?”

“What? No!” Jayfeather’s fur bristled angrily as his head shot up, sightless eyes blazing in the direction of Leafpool. “Not like that!”

“I’m sorry,” Leafpool apologized quickly, her words genuine. “You understand how I feel, right? I just have to make sure. I’d like for you to tell me, but tell me when you’re ready.”

Jayfeather calmed down and willed his fur to lie flat as he sighed. “I just want to rest a bit first.”

“Of course. I’ll be here when you wake,” Leafpool assured him softly. “There’s poppy seeds if you need them.”

“No...I’m fine,” he mewed, his voice soft with exhaustion. He just wanted a nap, but he didn’t want to knock out completely yet. With a soft sigh, he laid his head back down, curling into a tight ball. He felt Leafpool shift closer to him, wrapping around him and purring. Her purrs rumbled against him, soothing him, and the tom found himself drifting off into a short, comforting nap.


End file.
